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MANHATTAN -- A team of engineers at Kansas State University's Advanced Manufacturing Institute has completed thermal and structural testing on LED streetlight modules and housing for EcoFit Lighting, Lenexa.

LED lighting can provide improved lighting quality, energy efficiency and is environmentally friendly.

"EcoFit Lighting approached AMI to develop test methods and procedures to independently test and establish the steady state operating temperatures on four of its LED streetlight module configurations," said John Bloomfield, the Advanced Manufacturing Institute's lead engineer on the project. "The tests were performed in a thermal chamber at the K-State Institute for Environmental Research, with the streetlight modules operating in a temperature-controlled environment ranging from zero to 35 degrees Celsius. The results were used to determine LED junction temperatures, which directly impact longevity.

"The structural tests were designed to provide a better understanding as to what sort of loads can reliably be applied to the light-fixture housing. When the load was applied, the deflection of the light fixture was measured to determine the effect of the load," Bloomfield said. "While the housings are not part of EcoFit's product offering, the testing proved that EcoFit's LED module, meant to directly replace current streetlamp internals, will not cause structural issues with the minimal additional weight."

"Helping with the EcoFit Lighting project allowed me to work closely with the client and gain experience with product testing," said Kyle Warren, who served as an Advanced Manufacturing Institute intern on the project. "The AMI intern program has been a great experience and I highly recommend it to other students."

"We approached AMI for our product testing needs due to AMI's long-standing reputation for its ability to reproduce real-world environments for testing, exhibit attention to detail, and deliver credible, high quality results, said Cason Coplin, CEO of EcoFit Lighting. "I have been very pleased with our partnership, and I would highly recommend others to leverage AMI's capabilities to provide timely, cost-effective results."

The Advanced Manufacturing Institute is a part of K-State's College of Engineering and a Kansas Technology Enterprise Corporation Center of Excellence that provides engineering services to develop products and processes. More information on the institute is available online at http://www.amisuccess.com